The benchmark MerVal stock index .MERV shed 1.7 percent
to end at 1,998.37 points, with index heavyweight Tenaris
(TENA.BA: Cotización) (TS.N: Cotización) -- the world's top producer of seamless steel
pipes for the energy industry -- losing 3.44 percent to close
at 106.7 pesos per share.

"Profit-taking in Petrobras and Tenaris again pushed the
MerVal lower," said Guido Macchi, a trade at Macchi brokerage.

Petrobras APBR.BA fell 3.4 percent to close at 104.66
pesos, helping push the MerVal to its lowest level since
February 8 when it closed at 1,992.62 points.

Sagging regional markets and a drawn-out conflict between
farmers and the Argentine government continues to cause
uncertainty, Macchi added.

Elsewhere in the region, Brazilian stocks .BVSP fell for
a third session, extending the worst slump since January as
investors dumped shares of steelmakers Gerdau GGBR4.SA and
Usiminas USIM5.SA, tracking a global slump in steel companies
on concerns that slower demand will limit price increases.